Mike Huckabee opted against a run for the 2012 Republican nomination Saturday night, saying that despite all the signs saying yes, “My heart says no.”

The former Arkansas governor’s decision instantly reshapes the contest, creating a wide-open field in Iowa, where Huckabee won the 2008 caucuses, and an opening for some of the second-tier hopefuls who could appeal to Huckabee’s base of conservatives and evangelical Christians.

Text Size

-

+

reset

POLITICO 44

Most of those candidates began the jockeying immediately, with statements praising Huckabee landing almost the moment he finally revealed his decision in the closing moments of his Fox News show, just before 9 p.m., saying he had reached it after intense prayer.

“For me, to do it apart from an inner confidence that I was undertaking it with God’s full blessing is unthinkable,” the former pastor said, driving the suspense up to the last moment. “I can’t know or predict the future, but I know for now, my answer is clear and firm: I will not seek the Republican nomination for president this year.”

It was one of the most-hyped recent political statements, with the least surprising outcome.

For an hour, the entire political world sat transfixed by a sort of Southern-fried Catskills variety show, featuring a former “Saved by the Bell” cast member (Mario Lopez), the pol himself playing bass on “Cat Scratch Fever” with Ted Nugent and even a postscript from developer Donald Trump, who praised Huckabee.

The consummate outsider who has always kept his own counsel, Huckabee took a parting shot at the critics whose respect he’s never had in full — and whose acknowledgment he’s clearly craved. “Even though I wasn’t actively campaigning, polls have consistently put me at the top, or near the top, to be the Republican nominee,” he said.

Though he’d “shattered” assumptions that he only had regional appeal, Huckabee pointed out, his name would sometimes “go unmentioned” while pundits were discussing others in the field who were barely cracking single digits.

Despite few signs of visible political movement, Huckabee was able to stay undecided for months thanks to that consistent strength in both national and early-state polls. He would have entered the race as a clear frontrunner and, unlike during his dark horse run in 2008, likely seen the doors of donors and institutional players open to him because of it.

The decision to stay out for now allows Huckabee to continue one thing that has eluded him for much of his life — making money. As far back as last February, he was citing the paycheck he’d be walking away from as a factor against running. And a source inside Fox News told POLITICO that Huckabee has been discussed as a possible replacement for the departing Glenn Beck.(Huckabee’s executive producer, Woody Fraser, is said to be close with Fox News president Roger Ailes.)

But he made clear he plans to stay involved and have a role in the debate in the future of the presidential campaign. Some of his supporters argue he should be on every short list for vice president.

The hourlong show served as a synopsis of the man himself: a man scarred by growing up poor in Hope, Ark., angered by an establishment that never included him, a proud devout Christian and a teenage DJ who dreamed of the klieg lights.

Good. Now can we stop discussing him? He has a house payment of at least $23,000 per month, can't raise money no matter what he does, and most important of all, he commuted the sentence of the man who went on to murder four police officers in Washington State. He's been a non issue for a long while. Let's move on now to the big issues in politics: Sarah Palin, Donald Trump and Michelle Barfmann.

Maggie says Trump is fading in this article you can tell she's a left winger or inside Washington type. Trump has more support than you think. Watch the polls!! Do you think Trump would be afraid of going up against Obama. Trump would wipe the floor up with him!

I think most Republicans want to run but they know they will have to go up against President Obama and that alone scares them away.

Gallup and Rasmussen have his approval below 50%. The Osama bump barely lasted a week. Now he has to go back to dealing with the fact that his intrusive, fascist economic policies are a massive failure that is costing taxpayers trillions of dollars.

The truth is he knew he probably won't get the nomination and even if he did get it, President Obama is very likely to be re-elected so the 2012 republican nomination isn't worth much and for a guy making big $$ its a no-brainer. Stay put and let someone else be the 'sacrificial lamb'.

The question is who is going to get his votes (evangelicals/ christian conservatives), not Mitt they can't stand him. This opens the way for Palin or Bachman. Its going to be entertaining watch those two.